Stunning, In Every Way
by OutlawPrincess1
Summary: Set of OQ oneshots, prompts accepted :) First chapter - post-finale take on the reunion scene. Second chapter-What is Marian hiding?
1. Pardons and Promises

So, I'm a little new to fanfiction. I read a lot (fanfiction and regular books) and this idea was just gnawing at me so I thought, why not take a chance and post it?

This is just a oneshot, but I had a lot of fun writing it so maybe, I might do prompts? Just as a sort of writing exercise to get me more comfortable? So if anyone likes the story or has a prompt, just let me know and I'll try and do it :) (no smut though, sorry, that's not really my forte, I can't even read it without turning red lol, so it would probably be awkward)

-(-)-

**Pardons and Promises**

Regina stood there, watching as the happy family reunited, watching as what was meant to be her second chance at love was holding his first chance and closed her eyes, deafening herself to the pleas and apologies of Emma. She didn't want to hear it, she just didn't. There was nothing Emma could say that would make it better, there was no apology she could give that would undo this. She didn't mean to, she didn't know, she was sorry, it was like an endless loop but it meant nothing. She was the Savior, she saved people, even if she knew that it was Marian, she would have done the same thing.

Because Emma was a hero and heroes, no matter what they screwed up and who they hurt, always got their happy endings.

She had a world of regret in her life, she owned all her mistakes, she tried to make up for them. She cursed the town to a world without magic and stole their memories from them…she broke a similar curse that erased memories with true love's kiss, she gave up her own happy ending in her son to see them alive, she saved all their lives from Tamara trying to destroy them all and would have willingly given her own to do it. She had caused for Emma to grow up without her parents, had forced them to lose their child…she had protected Prince Neal from Zelena, she had given up her own child to save them. She had harmed many people and now she was trying to protect them. She had done so much, she had tried so hard.

At first it was for Henry, to prove she did love him, all those years. She knew, she had suspicions of who he was, whose child, and she kept him, because she loved him. Even though she knew his birth mother would likely be her ruin. She had learned her lessons, she had tried to let go of her anger…all it did was hurt her in the end. She lost her mother, she lost her father, she lost her sister and her son and her first love, twice mind you, she had lost every single person in her life that she had ever loved or ever had some sort of familial tie to.

She kept losing everyone…and everyone else gained it all.

Her mother broke her down, Rumpelstiltskin kept her broken just so she could enact his curse. And wasn't it ironic that Rumple and Hook, two classic villains, were both getting their happy endings. Though she supposed, in the grand scheme, looking at it from a fairytale perspective, if Peter Pan was the real villain, then Hook was actually a hero. And looking at it from intention, Rumple only did all he did to find his son again and no one, especially not the Charmings (or even her) could fault a parent wanting to be reunited with their child.

No, it wasn't villains that didn't get happy endings.

It was evil.

And no matter what she did, that cursed moniker of 'The Evil Queen' would always be with her. Because she'd done too much evil, apparently, too much of it and harmed too many people and done it all out of hate and anger and hurt instead of for 'good' reasons.

EVIL didn't get happy endings.

She lost her mother to her empty heart, and upon returning it lost her mother to death at her own hand, tricked by Snow White. She lost her father to her own blinding anger and need for revenge, or as Rumple would say her capacity to love. The irony wasn't lost on her, that the Evil Queen had the biggest heart of all, that she could still love despite that. She'd lost her first love to her mother's desire to go up in the world and then again in the need to protect her son and others from the monster Daniel had become. And Zelena, her sister, would rather die and kill herself than take a second chance and, maybe, be true sisters one day (if she could forgive and protect Snow White, why not hold out hope for Zelena). And Henry, her son, she could still recall the days he called her the Evil Queen, when he looked at her with distrust and hate, when he ran to Emma the first chance he got and hardly looked back.

Everyone she loved was always lost, at her own hand. She killed her mother and father and first love and her sister died to be rid of her and Henry left her because of her past and then she lost him again to the false memories she'd given him.

She should have learned, her resilient heart should have warned her that it couldn't take any more of this.

But that was the problem with resilience, it was too strong to break entirely, it would keep going no matter how weak it felt or how much it wanted to just give up. It would live out in sickness and despair and sorrow to the end of her days and just keep beating.

No matter how much she wished it would stop.

Because now, when she had finally opened her heart to someone, had lowered her walls, had fallen in love with someone, someone who saw her as just Regina, someone who felt despair at letting her down, someone who actually thought her blackened heart was valuable…he broke it. She felt tears in her eyes at that, he'd lost her heart once and he'd let her down but it was to protect Roland. She would never fault him for it. And now, she knew, she couldn't fault him for this either. She knew, she had done the same, when Daniel had returned, she'd run to him and hugged him. But she hadn't been in a relationship then, she hadn't met her soulmate.

She had actually thought about this once, just for a moment or two, after Neal had been born. She had heard Snow and David discussing names when she had gone to just make sure the baby was ok. She knew, ahead of time, they planned to name it Neal. But more yet…she knew that his full name was Neal Daniel Nolan. They'd named him Daniel to make amends with her, that even his name lived on and had life to it. It had made her think, if Daniel had been there, what would she do? She had come to terms that she wouldn't be as shocked. Perhaps it was because she'd already seen him back from the dead once. But she knew that if he were ever back she would have approached him slowly, given him a brief hug perhaps, and taken Robin with her to introduce him. Robin was her soulmate, Daniel was her first love. First love wasn't always true love, and she knew Daniel was dead and she'd mourned and moved on and raised a son alone.

Just as Robin had.

They had connected on such a deep level, so instantly, and he pursued HER. In the Enchanted Forest, she'd seen his tattoo then as well, when he'd been practicing archery with his men on a warmer day, his sleeves up, she'd seen it. She'd pushed him away, she'd pushed and snipped and snapped and shouted and everything she could think of to keep him back because this, THIS was what she was afraid of. He'd get to close and she wouldn't be able to push him out, even before she'd seen his tattoo he'd managed to get under her skin in a way no one ever had. She pushed him and pushed him and he pushed back, he didn't give up, he went after her and he followed her and he fought for her. He made her believe she could trust him. She should have known because she KNEW he'd get too close and that he'd end up with the power to hurt her.

And he was, right now.

He was hurting her in being with Marian and she knew it shouldn't hurt. Because it was his wife, his first love, his first choice, and she was just his second chance. With Marian there…why would he need her? His wife was back, she understood, he'd pick her, he'd be with her, if (and she actually felt bad for hoping this) not for any love of Marian than to give Roland his mother. She felt a crack in her heart at that, Roland, the little boy she had started to see as a son. She and Roland had been close in the Enchanted Forest, ever since she gave him that stuffed monkey. He would be with Marian now.

And that, that was good and right and fair and she wanted Robin to be happy.

She took a breath and turned, about to head for the door, to remove herself from the situation, not sure if it was because she didn't want to spoil it for them with the 'Evil Queen' still being there to frighten Marian or if it was because others would stare or because she didn't want him to introduce her or feel conflicted. She tried to say she was leaving to make it easy for him, to show him she was letting him go to be with his wife again, a wife he'd said just before that he'd walk through hell for. She tried to think that…but she knew a larger part was that it hurt so badly and she wanted to cry and she didn't want the others to see her so weak.

Fate and luck never seemed to be on her side though, for she'd only taken a single step when she heard Marian speak, "I never thought I'd see you again," the woman was gushing, tears in her voice, "I was to be executed only hours from now but when Princess Emma saved me from the Evil Queen's dungeon…"

"The…Evil Queen?" Robin spoke.

Regina stopped walking, her heart shattering in her chest. She had only heard him use that name a handful of times, but never like that. He'd used it to try and say she didn't appear to be the great and terrible Evil Queen of legend but just Regina…now though it sounded like he was realizing that THE Evil Queen had something to do with all of it, he sounded like he forgot who the Evil Queen was.

"Regina?" Robin called and she slowly turned to look at him, "YOU?" he shook his head, seeming almost stunned, seeming horrified, "You were the one to kill Marian?"

"No!" her defense was instant, her memories of the event feeling fresher at the mention of the dungeons, as her mind connected the dots to when Emma and Hook had appeared in the past, the time they had. She knew the too-fresh memories were likely the result of their tampering, her memories had rewritten themselves and the newer versions were more prominent. But with that came the actual solid knowledge of what she had done and who Marian was, her face, and her fate.

"I was in YOUR dungeon!" Marian shouted, "You were going to have us all executed in the morning!"

"I was planning to yes," she put on her Madam Mayor mask, one that was powerful but different than the Evil Queen, she crossed her arms, trying to make it seem more like she was trying to be intimidating than holding herself together.

"My god…" Robin breathed.

Regina tried not to notice how he pulled Marian closer to him, as though he wanted to protect her from him.

"I was PLANNING to," she emphasized, "But I let all the prisoners go that morning instead."

"You're lying!" Marian glared at her, shaking in Robin's arms, "Why would you, of all people, let those go whom you were about to murder!?"

"Because I thought I'd won!" Regina huffed, her mask breaking for only a moment at a crack in her voice before she took a breath, "I thought I had finally gotten rid of the woman responsible for the death of my first love," she added more calmly, "What need had I to keep prisoners for their knowledge of where Snow White was when I had already defeated her? I pardoned them, I let them all go, whether or not you were in that cell come daylight is your business," her gaze flickered to Mary Margaret, "It wasn't till later that day I learned she was still alive and by then the prisoners had gone," her attention returned to Marian and Robin.

And there it was, in Robin's eyes, for just the barest fraction of a moment, but it was enough to shatter the broken pieces of her heart into dust.

"You don't believe me," she realized, starting to shake her head at that.

"Regina…" Robin tried to speak, but she held up a hand.

"I suppose that moniker isn't quite so overstated, is it?" she let out a breath before her gaze drifted around the room, people shifting and eyeing her, clearly not knowing what to believe. She saw Marian clutch Roland closer, a fierce look on her face as though a mother protecting her young from a danger, "Believe what you want," she nearly snapped, turning on her heel to storm out of the building.

"Mom!" Henry cried, rushing after her.

"Henry…" Emma reached out for him, "I don't think she wants anyo…"

"No!" Henry yanked his arm back, glaring at Emma with tears in his eyes, "She was a _hero_! She used light magic! She's saved you all time and again and she finally got a happy ending that everyone keeps trying to take from her," he shook his head, "Don't talk to me Emma till you fix this."

Emma felt her own heart break at the absolute fury and utter disappointment in her son's eyes as he turned and ran after his mother again.

"Was she telling the truth mate?" Hook looked not at Robin but at David, at Mary Margaret, "You and Snow White, you'd know better than most of us."

Mary Margaret looked at them all, Neal in her arms, "She _did_ release the prisoners," she nodded, "As hard as it may be for some of you to believe," she glanced at Leroy and Marian, "Regina was a magnificent queen unless you tried to help ME," she turned to Robin, "She DID pardon them, she did let them go, I remember hearing the cheers in the villages when their loved ones returned."

"And…" David hesitated.

"What?" Robin whispered, his voice deep but soft, sounding strained, like he was trying to make sense of it all.

David glanced at Mary Margaret and sighed, "I don't think she would have killed Marian anyway."

"Regina never killed mothers," Mary Margaret told them, "At least not those with babies or small children to get back to."

David nodded, "Midas told me about it once, Regina never killed children or harmed them. Even before Henry, she had a soft spot for children. She…if she found out Marian had just had a child, she wouldn't have killed her anyway."

Emma closed her eyes, thinking about the story of Hansel and Gretel from Henry's book, that story hadn't changed. The Evil Queen, even then, had offered the two children a place in her palace, as her children, to be a family together. But the children wanted their father and she just let them go.

"The Huntsman," Mary Margaret added, "He let prisoners go too. Even if she refused to tell her name or who she was, he always tried to let as many out as he could before the public executions. He helped me escape once, he spared my life, he sent me warnings and messages when he could. When he thought the Queen wouldn't find out."

Robin closed his eyes, hearing his own words echoing back to him, and swallowed hard. He ran a hand down his face at that, either way, in the altered past or the real one, there was a slim to none chance that Regina had actually be responsible for Marian's death. He didn't know, didn't remember, would likely never know what had happened in the real past, the one Emma and Hook hadn't altered. But what he did remember now, was Marian disappearing, going missing. There had been no word of any execution and Marian, despite his efforts to remain hidden, was known to be his wife to the townspeople they visited. They would keep her identity and his a secret from the Queen, but they KNEW him. If she had been executed by Regina, he would have known.

No, not by Regina, by the Evil Queen. Hadn't he JUST been telling her that he didn't see her as evil, that he saw her for what she was now? Hadn't he just realized she wasn't merely a true love for him but the woman he was destined to be with, his soulmate? Hadn't he just gotten her heart back? And now…

He felt ill, he'd broken it, likely shattered it.

He took a step towards the door, needing to see her, needing her to know that he was sorry, for ever even assuming that she had killed his wife, for looking at her like she was still the Evil Queen, for having a shred of doubt when she said no. He knew Regina, if she knew about Marian she'd have admitted to it when confronted, her instant defense, SHE knew better than anyone the faces of those she saw executed.

"Robin!" Marian's voice cut through the haze of his thoughts, the woman reaching out to grab his arm, "What are you doing?!"

Robin let out a heavy breath and turned back to her, "I must go after her."

"Why?!"

"Marian…" he began, not knowing how to truly start, "I am so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" she shook her head, at a loss.

"You must understand, it has been…more than 30 years since you have gone missing," he told her, "I thought you dead when we couldn't find you, we searched for ages but there was no trace of you. I…I mourned you Marian, I let go of my built, and I moved on. My heart healed of your death and…" he swallowed, "It opened to another."

Marian shook her head, not wanting to believe it…and then it hit her, just WHO his heart had opened up to, "To the Evil Queen!?"

"She's not evil, not anymore."

The voice that spoke greatly surprised her.

"Little John?" Marian breathed, shocked that he, of all people, would defend that monster!

"Aye, milady," another of the Merry Men stepped up, "She has…it is as the boy said, she saved us all."

"She saved me from the monkeys," even Roland defended her.

"She used _light _magic Marian," Robin told her softly.

"It must have been a trick," Marian argued, the woman she'd just seen had been about to kill her! She HAD to have killed her! She was evil, as evil as they came!

"It was not," Robin shook his head gravely.

"How could you possibly know that!?" Marina snapped, feeling so overwhelmed by everything. The fact that that horrible woman had been right there and no one had even reacted! Not even Snow White! It made her head spin, she didn't understand.

"Because I held her heart in my hand when she did it," Robin admitted, speaking for the first time of what he felt when he'd touched Regina's heart in stopping Zelena, the wave of emotions that he had felt radiating off it from the moment she'd used her light magic, "And I felt it, it was pure…love," he finished with a breath.

It had been love for him, for Roland, especially for Henry, even for Snow White, for her family and…friends, the people she had only just started to consider friends. He would never speak a word of how completely overwhelmed he'd been to feel the emotions pouring into him when that light had appeared in Regina's hand, how her eyes had locked on his for a mere moment before it happened. It was warm and encompassing and nearly drowning and maddening to him how strong it was. Regina's heart was a part of her, a part of her entire soul and he felt it in that moment, how strong and capable of love and how true and pure and powerful her love was. And to know a part of it was for him…

He'd felt tears in his eyes and he'd lowered his bow, so distracted and surrounded in the feeling. It hadn't been till after Zelena went flying across the floor that he realized he needed to focus.

"I do love you Marian," Robin looked at her once more, "You will always have a place in my heart, you will always be Roland's mother, and I will not abandon you to this world on your own but…things cannot be as they once were. I have been a father, on my own, for years now. I have grown, I have changed, and I feel and think differently than the man you married," he took her hand, seeing tears in her eyes, but equally seeing an understanding. She had felt it, she had to have, in how he greeted her. He always kissed her lips, touched her face, spun her around when he'd meet her after a heist, but this time…this time he'd kissed her forehead, put an arm around her to hug her, touched the back of her head instead, she knew, she knew he wasn't the same, he wasn't acting the same, his heart wasn't the same, "I love differently. My heart has changed Marian, it has struggled and lost and grown stronger and guarded and…I will not apologize for finding happiness to pull me from my despair. I would have wished the same for you."

Marian closed her eyes, a tear falling from them, "I know," she breathed.

Of all things that had changed, and changed they had, her husband was more guarded in his eyes, more a father than a petty thief, less moral from a burden of hardship and needing to get by, and more deeper in feeling yet harder to reach from the loss of her death. But in all that, he was still the good man she knew he was, he still cared, he still wished the best for her. If the roles were reversed, she would have hoped he'd be happy she had managed to find love again than to close herself off to the world and to happiness just to cling to someone long since gone. She supposed she should be thankful, if she had lost his care that would be an unbearable fate, but he was still there, still there for her.

"Go," she whispered, offering him a small smile, it would take time, it would take a good deal just to settle to this new world, to come to terms with the fact that his heart was no longer hers, that decades had passed for him while mere weeks were for her, but she could see the pain in his eyes, the pain that she had used to see when he'd go on a longer heist, the pain to leave someone you loved. But he hadn't left her, he was right there, that pain…it was for the Ev…for Regina, he loved her and he was suffering being away from her, "Go after her."

The breath that Robin let out, the breath of relief and gratefulness and thanks, should have broken her heart but she felt…lighter, she was doing something that would make him happy and that was all she wanted for him, to be happy, even if it wasn't for her. She realized now, that was what Regina had been trying to do before, she had been willing to leave Robin to her, to his wife, to see him happy. But Regina, neither she nor herself, could have guessed that his happiness was not in being honorable and staying with her out of obligation…nor did she want him to do that, feel obligated and forced and trapped into being with her…but in following his heart to his new love.

"Thank you," Robin leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Go," she repeated, nudging him on though she kept her grip on Roland, she could let her husband go to his new love but her son…she did need time with her boy who had been years younger than he was, she'd missed too much time with him.

Robin nodded and turned, rushing out of the diner and into the chilly night air, needing to get to Regina, needing to tell her what he knew she was fearing.

She was not his second choice, she was not his second chance, she was not his second love…she was his only one.

He didn't even realize he was running till he'd reached Regina's door and found himself panting, hunched over from the distance. He took only a minute to gain his breath back before he straightened and knocked on it, not stopping till it was thrown open.

"What do YOU want?" Henry glared at him, sticking up his chin, leaving no doubt in Robin's mind who the boy's mother was, that look had Regina all over it.

"I must speak to your mother."

"Go away," Henry tried to shut the door, but Robin stuck his foot and hand out to stop it.

"Henry please…"

"No!" he cut in, "You don't get to talk to her, you don't get to hurt her and then think you can come here and hurt her more by telling her you're going back to your wife after you kissed her and…"

"I'm not," Robin told him gently.

Henry looked at him suspiciously, "Not what?"

Robin offered him a small smile, "I'm not going back to Marian."

Henry blinked, "You're not?" he asked, sounding more like he was trying to determine if Robin was lying just to be able to speak to his mother.

"No," Robin nodded, "But please, I MUST speak to Regina."

"There's nothing to say," Regina's voice spoke from behind Henry and Robin's breath nearly caught in his throat as he looked at her, standing with a cup of tea, her heels and jacket off, "Henry could you go into the living room please?" Henry hesitated, glancing between them, before seeing the promise in Robin's eyes and nodding, heading off but giving his mother a hug first. Regina smiled and it made Robin's heart clench painfully to see how small and pained even that was as she returned the hug with one arm. She waited till Henry had entered the other room before she moved to stand before him in the doorway, not letting him in, "Why are you here Robin?" she asked quietly, setting her cup on a side table.

He opened his mouth and closed it, doing a rather poor impersonation of a fish he was sure but there was just nothing in his mind right now at the sight of her. Her eyes were red and despite her attempts to wipe the tears away he could see the faint trails of them on her cheek. Her voice was quiet but hoarse and it killed him to know that she had cried because of him. Worse yet…when she looked into his eyes he could see it. The fire, the spark, the blazing in her eyes was just gone. Her eyes were sad and hollow and (he shuddered) dead. It was like every bit of happiness and hope had been removed from them. Her eyes, god he remembered them sparkling in the firelight just hours ago, the vulnerability, the compassion, the empathy he saw in them, the love. She had been happy with him, she had trusted him, and he had truly let her down.

But as he had gotten her heart back once before, he was determined to do it again.

"You should be with your wife," Regina murmured, "It's ok," she tried to smile when he just kept standing there, but didn't quite manage it, "I understand. Your Marian's back, she's alive, your wife and the mother of your child," she shrugged, "What we had ends, it always does," she added the last part quietly.

"Regina…" he began, feeling his heart breaking all over at that.

This woman, just before she'd confessed she was scared of being with him, had implied it as he read between the lines, because she thought everyone she loved, that because someone loved her, she lost them. And it had been proven to her, in her mind, over and over and he'd become a part of that chain, of that reaffirmation that she didn't deserve happiness. This woman who had given up and lost so much, she truly believed that she didn't deserve a happy ending, that it wasn't for her, that she would never get one…

She had never had one.

And that was the painful truth. Regina, at no point in her life, had ever had a happy ending, and there he was her chance at one…and he had crushed it just as she was daring to hope. That was the cruelest thing he could have ever done to her.

"It's ok Robin," she said softly, "I understand. I do."

He shook his head, her voice was empty. It was like she was just giving up and it pained him to realize, to her, why should she bother fighting? Why should she bother trying to keep going, trying to keep hoping, trying to be happy when everything seemed set against her? She WAS tired, he could hear it in her voice, she was tired and hopeless and she just wanted it to stop, she'd given up…or she was and he couldn't let her.

"I'm afraid I don't, milady," he started to speak, "I don't understand how you can expect me to move on from YOU and all we had."

"All we had?" she nearly scoffed, her tone almost bitter if it hadn't been laced with sorrow, "You have your true love back Robin, the woman you would have walked through hell for. She's right back there in the diner, the walk back is hardly as difficult a trek as one through hell."

The 'believe me, I know' seemed to be a silent add on that only he heard. Her life had been a living hell from the moment she'd been born. The bright spots snuffed out by her mother or Rumpelstiltskin just to try and keep the darkness infesting her, the anger boiling, the hatred growing. Every single bright spot had been taken from her at one point or another and she never fully got it back. Even Henry she didn't fully have any longer now that Emma was there.

"But it would be hell to take a single step away from you," he tried.

Regina closed her eyes, "Robin," she shook her head, "I am trying, I really am," he wanted desperately to reach out and touch her cheek when he saw a tear finally fall, but she was quicker, she wiped it away and opened her eyes, "I'm trying to be good now. So please, go back to your family. You don't need a second chance when the first has returned."

"Was she though?" he asked her.

"Was she what?" Regina let out a breath, and he could see she was starting to get exasperated.

"Was Marian my first chance," he elaborated, "You know, Henry had quite a few tales to tell me about Neverland, about Tinkerbelle, about how long the fairy had been on that island," he nearly smiled when he saw her stiffen at that, "If he is to be believed, Tinkerbelle was there before king Leopold was ever killed, years before that. Marian and I," he shook his head, working it all out now, he hadn't even realized he'd been considering this till it started spilling out, "We did not wed or have Roland till years after the king died," he looked at her, his eyes slightly wide as the realization hit him, "YOU were always meant to be my first chance Regina."

She had told him a little more after she'd brought up his tattoo and the pixie dust that led her to him all those years ago. How Tinkerbelle had wanted to help her when no other fairy did merely because of who her mother was. Cora had destroyed her life and kept her controlled and weak, Rumpelstiltskin had manipulated her and practically influenced all aspects of her life and happiness to get her the bitter and evil and cruel woman she had been, and the fairies! Even the fairies were responsible for Regina's life and the mess it had been, if the pure and good Blue Fairy, of all people, had just stepped in to help her instead of ignoring her and keeping back because of Cora and Rumpelstiltskin, Regina's life would not have been the misery and darkness it was.

And he would have met her first.

"Don't you see?" he reached out to touch her cheek, "Regina…you were meant to be my first chance."

"And now I'm not," she tried to step back, but he stepped forward, "I'm just your second chance."

"First, second," he shook his head, "It matters not…"

"No, it really does," she tried to snap at him but the tears in her eyes kept him from flinching. Her walls were down, they were always down around him and even when they were up it felt like there were no walls at all at times, he could always just…see through them and he saw the woman she was behind the mask of Madame Mayor or the Evil Queen, "I can't do it Robin. I can't be someone's second choice, I have suffered many injustices in my life and I have caused enough harm to deserve every single injustice done to me afterwards but I can't bear that."

"Then don't," he whispered, stepping closer, touching her face with his other hand as well, cupping it in both his hands, "Because you aren't. Regina," he smiled, "There is NO choice to make. You are my truest love, my only love."

Regina's eyes searched his and he knew she was looking for a single shred of doubt, of a lie, of falsehood…and he knew there would be none.

"Don't do this," she breathed, her voice so soft.

He truly had hurt her in his reactions and his words and gazes that night, that he was there before her, offering her his whole heart, and she was still hesitant to take it, that she was having a hard time trusting him to hold her own and not harm it any more than he already had.

"Think about what you're doing…"

"I have," he cut in gently, stepping even closer, "I have thought of it. And I have spoken to Marian already, I have made my heart clear," he looked deeply into her eyes, "She was my wife, she has released me from my vows. She is still Roland's mother and will be in his life, that cannot be changed," he felt more than saw the barest hint of a nod on her part, agreeing on that, knowing all too well what it was like to be a mother separated from her son, "She merely wants me to be happy and I am, happy. Happy with YOU."

Regina blinked rapidly, trying to keep her tears in, "You…pick me?"

He nearly let out a soft laugh at that, as though there could be any question, "First love does not always mean true love," he remarked wisely, "It is all about the timing," he leaned in more, his nose brushing hers, "My time with Marian has passed, my time with you has just begun and I swear to you, Regina, if you trust me with your heart just one more time, I promise on all I hold dear I will protect it and cherish it to the end of time," he stroked her cheek, seeing she still wanted the answer, she wanted to know, she wanted to hear it said out loud, "Yes," he nodded, "I choose YOU."

He should have known, or perhaps he did, that the moment those words left his mouth Regina would kiss him. And so she had, just as she had in the forest, gripping the edges of his coat and pulling him to her. That first kiss they shared had been initiated by her, and nearly every single kiss after had been HIS doing (not that he could be faulted for that, she wasn't just 'quite a good kisser' she was exceptional, exquisite, addicting). The ones she initiated, the ones she desired always meant so much to him, because she was so guarded and it meant she wanted him closer. And he swore, right then and there, he would never leave her side again.

He let out a soft breath as they pulled away a few moments later, both breathless, their eyes closed, their foreheads resting against each other's, "I love you, Regina," he opened his eyes to look into hers, wanting her to see the truth in it.

But Regina kept her eyes closed, a small, happy smile on her face, not needing to look into his eyes to see the truth, to know it was true now, "I love you too."

She opened her eyes a moment later, her brown eyes swimming with tears but with such happiness and love it stole his breath. She looked to the side and gently took his wrist in her hand, lifting it slightly off her face to turn it and press a soft kiss to his lion tattoo.

-(-)-

AN: I hope you all liked it :) I had a lot of issues with the whole "who killed Marian" thing and wanted to explore Regina's Redemption.

I think I'd like to try my hand at prompts if anyone has any, mostly Outlaw Queen though, please and thank you :) I'm not sure when I'd update, it would depend on the prompt, inspiration, and time with work and all. But I would try for at least once a week, maybe 2 or three times, depending :)


	2. The Blackest Heart

**The Blackest Heart**

Mary Margaret sat off to the side of the stage in the meeting hall of Storybrooke, Neal in her arms, absently rocking him though he was long ago asleep. David was at a podium right in the middle, speaking to the town, trying to keep them all calm even as the temperatures continued to plummet outside. Emma was beside her, Hook on the other side of her daughter, as she tried to focus. But it was difficult.

Across from her, on the other side of the stage, was Henry, sitting beside Regina, with Gold on the other side of the former-Evil Queen. Regina was sitting primly, her back straight, her head up, her ankles crossed, her face the perfect mask of seriousness and indifference combined. The only thing that gave away the inner turmoil she knew her stepmother was feeling was that Henry was sitting with her one hand in his lap, clutching it with both hands.

She closed her eyes a moment, she knew exactly why Henry was sitting by Regina instead of Emma, why the 'villain' that was Hook was sitting with the heroes while Henry was sitting with the 'villains' on the other side, far away from Emma.

Robin Hood.

Emma had gone to the past, she'd brought a woman that she believed was going to die at Regina's hand (none of them were sure just how the woman died now though) to the present. And that woman just happened to be Maid Marian, Robin Hood's wife and the mother of Roland, his DEAD wife. Or he'd presumed her dead. It was all very confusing now, had she died or disappeared? What was her fate before Emma got involved? Had Regina actually killed her?

Mary Margaret shifted at that thought and opened her eyes, looking at Robin and his small family sitting there with the Merry Men. She understood why Regina was sitting so stiffly, why Henry was clutching her hand so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Robin was in direct line of sight of Regina, with Marian clinging to his arm, a frown of worry and concern on her face, still dressed in her Enchanted Forest clothing. The woman wasn't adapting well to the new world, not that she blamed her. It was much like for Robin and his men, to adapt to the new world, but they'd had time to get used to it, they'd even been warned in the past (they recalled now) that they were going to enact the Dark Curse once more and Regina had even offered to cast the same protection that her mother had to prevent anyone who didn't want to join them from being sucked in. No one had wanted to remain there, they had all wanted to help. And that was it, they all chose to come to this world, were willing to adapt. They had all lived through decades under the curse in the Enchanted Forest, Marian was fresh from a past that was unblemished and from a land that hadn't been ravaged by the curse.

And that was what made her frown and tilt her head as she eyed the woman beside the archer. Robin's eyes were fixed firmly on Regina, the man sitting just as stiffly as her, Roland on his other side away from Marian (she'd seen the poor boy struggling to get comfortable around the woman who should be his mother but who he had no memory of), but Marian. There was a suspicion in HER as she looked at the archer's wife. Emma said that Marian claimed she was in the Evil Queen's dungeon for helping her, Snow White…

But she didn't remember ever meeting the woman.

She wasn't sure if it was all the tampering that Emma had done in the past but she literally couldn't recognize Marian at all. What was worse and more confusing was that EMMA had used her 'superpower' on Marian and she was telling the truth. Somehow, some way, Marian HAD helped her in the past but she couldn't for the life of her think of how that could be. If it had been something from a distance then there was no way that Marian could have been traced to her and imprisoned. The Evil Queen was ruthless, but she was smart, she had learned through hunting her that hearsay was the worst to go on. Her guards were instructed only to apprehend the ones that they caught in the act of helping her.

Marian would have HAD to be nearly right beside her or run right into her for her to be captured for helping her. She remembered every single face that had ever helped her, touched by their kindness and bravery. But she didn't remember Marian's, not at all.

So how was it possible that she'd helped her, that she was telling the truth about it, and that she'd still ended up in the Evil Queen's dungeon for it?

She let out a soft sigh of frustration, there would be no answers now. They had tried to press Marian for answers at first, Robin seemed to understand their qualms and suspicions nearly instantly, though they were sure it had to do with how generally confused he was as to how Marian had been there and how she'd ended up in the dungeons to begin with when he had no memory at all of ever knowing she was there. And all times in the past when Marian had been apprehended, he knew, he found out, he went after her, but there was nothing about her being in the Queen's dungeons in his memories. In fact, the last thing he knew of Marian was that she'd been taken by the Sheriff of Nottingham and, when he'd gone to confront the man, he'd been told that Marian had been killed.

That had been MONTHS before Emma ended up in the dungeons. If Marian had escaped the Sheriff…she would have come right back to him, but she didn't. He'd waited and waited for her, not wanting to believe the Sheriff, but when Marian didn't return to him or Roland, he'd finally accepted that, in a bout of madness, the Sheriff had been telling the truth. He'd mourned and moved on. There was no reason, in his mind, for Marian to end up in the dungeons in those months instead of being returned to him. He had searched all of Nottingham for Marian, all the areas around that, but found no sight of her. He'd bribed the guards and the Sheriff's men, there had been no word of her being transferred to any other dungeon, not that the Sheriff would ever allow it, Marian had been meant to be his wife at one point before she'd run off with HIM. The guards had confirmed Marian had died of an illness in the cells as well.

Robin had been so confused, he'd allowed them to question Marian, but she burst into tears and it was the Merry Men who had stepped up to defend her and push them away. She was sure that it was because they saw Robin's wife returned, felt it should be a joyous occasion, and wanted to protect her. She shook her head in thought, it was even more obvious that hardly any of his men approved of him being with 'the Evil Queen' as they weren't quite as able to push past the evil moniker and just see Regina was what was left. The men were all too thrilled to have their dear sweet Marian back for Robin, knowing how he'd grieved for her, that they kept her and Emma and David and anyone with questions that might upset her back.

She bit her lip a bit harder than she intended, using the small pain to shake herself out of her thoughts to look at her husband once more. She really did need to focus, especially as they were discussing the current threat to their town.

Elsa, the Snow Queen, was laying waste to the town by putting it in a perpetual and eternal winter.

Gold had, apparently, locked her away, as per the woman's own request, due to her powers. They were unstable and uncontrollable, and she'd nearly killed her own sister on accident decades ago. She couldn't manage her powers and she wanted to not hurt anyone so she'd gone to the Dark One to lock her away where she couldn't harm anyone ever again. But she was free now, Emma and Hook had accidently taken her and her prison back to Storybrooke. And now Elsa was out for Rumpelstiltskin's blood, for some reason she thought he'd killed her sister Anna shortly after imprisoning her, that it had been the man's intention from the start, to get her out of the picture to murder her sister.

Surprisingly (or not so much to her at least), it had been Regina who had been the one to save Rumple from a rather bad attack by Elsa. She'd been impaled through the gut, but Whale and Gold's magic had helped her. Regina didn't know, but Robin had sat in the waiting room and refused to leave till they knew she was ok, and for quite a few hours after. Much to Marian's chagrin, the woman refusing to enter the hospital (whether because of the patient or the strange facility it was no one knew), Roland had been with him, the poor boy refused to so much as leave the waiting room till he could go see 'Gina' as he liked calling her. She would have laughed at the sight of the boy clinging to the chairs, forcing them to drag him and them with them in an attempt to get him out of the hospital, had it not been such a serious matter. But Henry had agreed to take Roland, and ONLY Roland, to see his mother, and glared at Robin as he'd passed. Regina's reason for why she'd done what she had had made Belle her unofficial supporter through the entire town now.

Because if Rumple dies, so does Belle's happy ending and she kept them apart long enough, she wouldn't let them be parted by something as final as death.

Only she, Henry, and Belle knew the reason though, that wasn't something Regina wanted broadcast through the town, though she knew it was something people needed to know, to see how far she had come in her redemption. She was fine now, all healed up, hardly even a scar, and more determined than ever to see Elsa stopped. Henry had been walking with Gold and Belle at the time, discussing the story of the Snow Queen with Belle when Elsa attacked and heaven and hell help anyone who dared even get close to harming her son.

She shook her head and tried to look at David again, she knew the plan though. They were going to use Gold to trick Elsa into her prison again. According to him, Elsa's heart was now frozen solid by the thought of him killing her sister and there was nothing to thaw it or save her from the darkness. Gold was going to distract her, give her the target she wanted, and Regina, Emma, and blue were going to use their magic to activate her prison and suck her and the ice back into it. Emma with her light magic, Blue with the wand of the Black Fairy for utter dark magic, and Regina…with both. They'd discovered that, though Regina's heart was broken terribly, she still kept her capacity to love, and that, along with her past hate, allowed her to use both light and dark magic, something even Gold had deemed a very rare event.

Those who started with light magic could NOT use dark magic internally, they could use dark objects (like the wand) but they couldn't do it themselves. The light magic reacted negatively and kept them from developing it. Those with dark magic, like that of the Dark One, could not use light magic for much the same reason, it was pure darkness. But Regina, those with dark magic that learned it could equally bring themselves to learn light magic as well. It rarely happened as the darkness was too tempting and consuming, hardly any could push past or want to push past their anger and hate enough to feel the genuine love and care that light magic entailed. Henry (and Robin) had allowed Regina to wield both.

They needed all three to trap Elsa.

Mary Margaret glanced over at Regina once more and looked down, she had a terrible feeling about this.

-(-)-

"REGINA!" Mary Margaret screamed, though she wasn't the only one shouting. Robin Hood, Gold, and Emma were crying out as well.

Regina had shoved Marian, the woman refused to leave her husband's side and insisted on going with them all and they hadn't had time to say no, taking a blast of ice from Elsa for her and now…now Regina was turning into ice right before their eyes.

"MOM!" Henry, who had snuck out much to Emma's horror, ran for her, trying to get to her in the raging storm of snow, hail, and rain beating down on them all.

They all ran for her, but it was too late, she was frozen in place, a statue of ice.

"I don't understand," David shook his head, "Why attack her?!" he spun to face Elsa, pointing at Marian though.

It made no sense to them, GOLD had been her target from the start yet right when they were there, just as the girls had grabbed the urn from Robin, who had snuck into the ice castle Elsa had built and stolen it like the thief he was, Elsa had turned her attention on Marian who was hiding behind a boulder. She'd blasted it to pieces and Marian had run for it, but Elsa threw out ice at her and, in a swirl of purple smoke, Regina had appeared, shoving Marian down and taking the hit for her.

"How else was I going to get the little witch out of the picture?" a voice spoke behind them, a voice that made them stiffen.

"Marian?" Robin breathed, looking at the woman she picked herself off the snow covered ground and shook out her gown. He shook his head, not understanding, not comprehending what she was saying, why she was saying that…why her voice sounded different.

"Guess again," the woman who had been Marian smirked, holding up a hand, making Blue gasp as the wand of the Black Fairy flew into her hand before she threw it out to the side, sending a streak of pitch black energy at Elsa, making the woman scream as the energy surrounded her and the woman fell into pieces of ice before their eyes. 'Marian' laughed darkly and lifted her hands even to her shoulders, her palms up, and swirl of the blackest smoke drifted around her.

"No…" Blue gasped, staring in utter horror and terror at the swirl.

"Blue what is it?" Mary Margaret looked at her.

"It's the Black Fairy," Blue started to shake, wanting to back away.

"The what?" Emma stared.

"The Black Fairy!" Henry's eyes widened, "She's the darkest, most powerful Fairy in the book!"

It was true, he'd read it in his storybook of fairytales. The Black Fairy was the most powerful and dangerous and deadly of all the fairies. It had taken ALL of them and quite a few other magic users, the most powerful from ALL the realms coming together to try and stop her destroying everything. Only once that happened, once she'd been captured, had the Blue Fairy, with all their help, been able to banish her to another realm, a realm of nothingness, where only she existed. There was no time, no space, just her, frozen…but it appeared conscious and able to gather her strength, strength enough to break out of her bindings and escape through the realms.

"You were a fool Blue," the Black Fairy smirked, the dark smoke fading to reveal her new self.

"You!" Mary Margaret's eyes widened, stepping back into David's arm and so thankful she'd left Neal with Granny.

"Ooh," the Black Fairy laughed, "Recognize me now sweetie?"

"You were the one who gave me the dark fairy dust!" Mary Margaret realized.

Emma tensed, now realizing how her superpower had confirmed 'Marian' had helped Snow. She had, she just hadn't looked like Marian at the time apparently. She really didn't care how 'Marian' had ended up in the dungeons, likely used her magic to make it look like she was helping Snow White flee in front of the guards or done something else, but she didn't care. Because it wasn't Marian, it wasn't Robin's wife, and now Regina was frozen saving a woman that wasn't something Robin needed. The ALL knew why she'd taken the blast for 'Marian' because of Robin…and now she was a statue for it.

"I don't understand," Robin shook his head, his mind swimming and swirling, hardly able to make sense of anything.

The woman before him, the woman now with black wild hair and white skin and bags under her eyes, in a torn black dress that looked stitched together and a crazed look in her eye, it wasn't Marian, it had NEVER been Marian. And while he knew he should be devastated at the thought that he hadn't gotten his wife back, that Marian, his Marian, had likely died as the Sheriff said, the only thing that was hitting him was the fact that Regina was a statue, that he'd HURT her for some woman that wasn't his wife. He'd hurt his soulmate and been tricked and Regina had suffered and was devastated because of his actions and all of it had been for nothing.

He had been just been speaking to Marian before they went off, he had been telling her that he had fallen in love with Regina, that, when they finished with Elsa, he would help her acclimatize to Storybrooke, but that was all, he had suffered for weeks trying to force a love that couldn't come back (now he knew why) and that he wanted to be with Regina. Marian had stopped him, had said to wait till it was over, because they couldn't be distracted and emotional, and now he knew why…she, whoever she was, Dark Black Fairy woman, hadn't wanted _Regina_ to know. She had wanted Regina in the dark about his love for her for something.

"What is troubling you about this?" Black mocked his confusion, "I needed the only one of you that posed a threat out of my way."

"Listen lady," Emma tried to step forward, the snow had instantly stopped the moment Elsa shattered, but the snow was still there, up to their knees nearly, "Regina isn't the only one with magic here…"

Black waved her hand and sent Emma flying back, into the snow, "I care not for YOUR weak white magic," Black sneered, "Not you, nor your Dark One and all his black magic, can defeat me."

"But mom could," Henry caught on.

"What a clever boy," Black smirked, "Yes," she added slowly, as though she were treating the others as mere idiots, "A purveyor of both light and dark magic is the only one who could defeat me. And Blue knows all too well, those individuals are far too rare in any realm."

Blue let out a breath, glancing at the statue that was Regina, and closed her eyes. She had known that, at the time, that the strongest magic users were the ones able to harness both light and dark at once, none had existed when they'd first gone after Black…but one did now. Only one. And now she was lost.

"Ooh this was far too easy," Black continued, "Jealousy and heartbreak are such easy emotions to control. Zelena, Elsa, mere puppets."

"Zelena?" David blinked.

Black rolled her eyes at how dense they all were, but what harm was there in telling them all her masterful work in creating this situation where her only contender was dealt with? She rather loved relishing in the pain of others, and to torture them all with the knowledge of the parts they'd played in this would be lovely, "Who do you think taught her after the Dark One cast her off?" she grinned, "Feed her envy, fuel her need for revenge and her covetous nature for sweet Regina's life and she was all too willing to open a portal right to me. Trapped," she suddenly snapped, "Trapped in the past, left there by the curse, partially trapped in my own personal hell," she glared at Blue, apparently she hadn't been completely able to escape her prison, "Not till a portal was open through time and space and I was ripped out. Pity Zelena died, though," she tapped her chin, "Suppose it made my work easier, didn't have to kill her myself, red is such an unbecoming color," it didn't surprise any of them that she'd been planning to murder Zelena once she'd been free, Gold had explained that Zelena's portal wouldn't have really affected Regina's birth, she would have been born in some way or another, her soul and her potential would have merely gone to another vessel, another child, in some way the balance would have had to be restored, Regina, in some way, would still be there, Black just used Zelena to free herself, "Still she was rather useful in her observational spells, allowed me to follow you, master archer," she eyed Robin as the man glared, "Saw your precious Marian, that visage of her was disgusting to maintain," she sneered, "Still, it was all too easy to lure you away from your love…pathetically easy really. Are you not supposed to fight for your soulmate?"

"Shut up!" Henry snapped at her, Emma pulling him back, surprising Robin with his defense, because all that Black was saying was true. He had been pulled from Regina too easily. Yes, he thought his wife was back…but he had done a terrible thing and cut off all ties to Regina, avoided her, didn't speak to her, because he was a man of honor and he knew, a single moment with her alone and he would crumble and lose all sense of himself. It hurt her more, he knew, for him to do that, but it was all he could do to resist her.

"Well then," Black laughed, "Now that this has been dealt with," she gave them a wave and started to levitate in the air, her winks like a shadow behind her, "I shall bid you all farewell, I have hell to raise in your quaint little town."

Blue grabbed her wand and tried to fire some sort of spell at Black but she deflected it easily as she was flying towards the town.

"We have to stop her," Emma rounded to the others, seeing David rushing to Gold, who had been knocked to the side by a blast from Elsa moments before she'd turned her ire on Marian, clearly a plan meant to make Regina take the blast.

"We have to free mom then," Henry reasoned.

"How?" Mary Margaret looked to Blue.

"An act of True Love," Blue said instantly.

Henry ran for his the statue and wrapped his arms around it, hugging her tightly, trying to convey his love for her, Blue had said an act of true love, he hardly ever kissed his mother, he realized that sadly now. She always kissed his head, sometimes he'd kiss her cheek, but usually he'd convey his love in a hug…

But there was nothing, just a chill, "It's not working," he backed up.

"A spell like this, boy," Gold's voice groaned as he limped over with David, leaning on the man, "Takes something stronger than a child's love for his mother."

Without another word, Robin moved before Regina and kissed her statue on her icy lips, pouring everything into it. He wanted her back, he wanted to hold her and apologize over and over, he'd grovel if he had to, beg if she asked him, just do every single thing he could think of to make it up to her, to heal every single harm he'd caused her…

But still she remained frozen.

"Oh no…" Mary Margaret breathed, gasping as she felt tears coming to her eyes as they saw Regina still an ice statue.

"But…you're her soulmate," Henry looked at Robin, as devastated as the man looked, his mother had told him about it, about the lion tattoo and Tink and what had happened before she'd been the Evil Queen. She'd left the diner after Marian returned and he'd gone with her, walked with her home, and sat with her, cuddled up, trying to make her feel better. Emma had had a boyfriend or two in New York and he had memories of a few more that had broken her heart. He'd tried to tell her that it would be ok and that she'd find someone else, that her true love was still out there…and then she'd explained Robin was her true love, her soulmate.

It should have worked!

"It appears, regardless of that," Gold sighed, "She does not appear to believe it any longer."

Robin closed his eyes, now understanding why 'Marian' hadn't wanted to talk to him before they went there, hadn't wanted him to talk to Regina before going. She hadn't wanted him to tell Regina he chose her, he loved her, to reaffirm his love for her…because it was all too obvious to everyone that what he'd done, how he'd chosen to stay with his wife over his soulmate, had put up her walls again, thicker and higher than before. He knew what she'd done, convinced herself he couldn't love her from her past nor that he'd choose her because of his wife being there.

She didn't believe he loved her.

"I'm sorry," he looked at them, tears of devastation in his eyes.

Henry turned away and hugged a stunned Emma tightly.

Emma hugged him back, feeling the guilt overwhelming her at this, it was HER fault. She had not only brought Elsa back through the portal but she'd brought 'Marian' back. She should have realized, she should have asked her name. The woman knew the appearance of Marian, but not her name. It wasn't till ROBIN had shouted out her name that it had come about. The perfect way to stop Regina, surely the Black Fairy would have been able to look at or spy on Marian and Robin, had used Zelena to look at Regina's life and seen her nearly meet her soulmate and flee, had watched Robin and seen what Marian looked like.

She had been so stupid not to demand a name. The Evil Queen wouldn't have cared that Marian was her name, there were many Marians and only the villagers would have known she was married to Robin. Her name, it was all about her name, she never gave it.

"We need to head back to the town," David swallowed hard, "We need to warn them, try…try and think of something to do to stop the Black Fairy."

"Can you move her?" Mary Margaret looked at Gold and Blue, wanting to get Regina back to town.

They both tried but there was a special magic that was keeping her frozen despite Elsa being dead, and there was a magic keeping her from being magically transported.

"We can't just leave her!" Henry cried.

"Go," Robin spoke quietly, his gaze locked on Regina's statue, "I shall keep watch over her till some method of transport can be acquired."

Emma nodded, knowing he needed a moment alone, "We'll come back with, um, Dad's truck."

David nodded and the small group disappeared in a flash of purple and blue.

Robin let out a breath and looked at Regina, reaching out to touch her face with his bare hands, not caring about the cold, just…needing to touch her. His eyes searched hers as he peered at her, looking for even a flicker of life in her but there was nothing. He swallowed hard, his chest straining like a crushing weight was falling on him, and he could feel tears pooling in his eyes.

"Oh Regina," he murmured, shaking his head, his thumb absently stroking her cheek, "I'm so sorry my love. I should have told you, I should have fought for you. I knew, in my heart, that my Marian had long since died, but Roland…" he cut himself off, "I felt I had to try for him. And there were signs, there were many signs that this wasn't the same Marian but I thought it was my perception of her, that _I_ was the one who was not the same," he leaned in, his forehead resting on hers as he closed his eyes, "I suppose a part of me didn't want to lose her again, as you said how losing Daniel again broke your heart. But," he pulled away to look at her, "In trying to be a husband, I failed at being a good man. I HAVE changed, too much, too much to be compatible with Marian any longer. I kept trying when my heart begged me to stop, to go to you, to be with you as I have longed to do from the moments after the shock wore off. I was a fool Regina," his eyes flickered over her face, but there was still no change, "I was a damned fool and now…now I have lost more than just my wife, I have lost my heart, I have lost part of my soul in losing you. Please Regina," he blinked, feeling a tear fall from his eyes, "Hear me, and, know that I love you, truly I do, with every fiber of my being. I love you, only you, and I cannot bear to lose you again. Losing you to distance, to this…heartbreaking situation with Marian," he grimaced, it wasn't Marian, "It killed me Regina, please, I can't do this without you, I can't…" he swallowed, "I lost Marian and I learned to move on…I cannot move on from you, you are in every facet of my life and being, I need you Regina. I love you, more than words can describe. You are my truest love, the other half of my soul, the holder of my heart. I gave it to you, by the fireplace, and I never took it back. So please, come back to me."

His eyes remained fixed on her a moment longer before he leaned in once more, his forehead to hers, "I love you Regina," he murmured, before he pressed his lips to her frozen ones once more, another tear falling down his face…

His eyes snapped open when he heard a cracking noise, fearing the worst, that Regina's icy form would crumble just as the ice palace behind them had…but his breath caught in his throat when he saw it. The ice was turning pink instead of blue, small pieces of it cracking and falling away, like an outer layer. He lunged forward, catching Regina, alive and well and flesh and blood and warm as she fell forward, the effects of the transformation disorienting her a moment.

"Regina?" he breathed, staring in awe as she sank to her knees, taking him with her, her hand moving to her head.

"I was frozen…" she began, closing her eyes, shaking her head as though trying to remember, trying to get her thoughts in line.

"Yes," he touched her cheek, nearly shuddering at the warmth radiating from it.

Regina opened her eyes and looked at him, "You were talking to me."

His eyes widened slightly, "You heard me?"

She started to smile, "Yes, I did," she slowly lifted her hand to touch his cheek as well, the snow that had clung to his face melting off, "You love me?"

"I do," he gently took the hand off his face to place it over his heart, "With all that I am."

She leaned in, resting her forehead to his, "I love you too."

Robin's face broke out into a grin as he swooped in and captured her lips in a kiss that left them both warmer than they could have imagined in the middle of the snow.

But Regina pulled away a moment too soon, looking at him with wide eyes, "The Black Fairy…she's heading for Storybrooke."

"She is, milady," he nodded.

She quickly scrambled to her feet, Robin getting up with her, "Well look at that," she smirked at him, "Someone else for me to destroy."

He let out a light chuckle at that, "So it seems."

"I'll handle goth girl," she looked at him, "You find Henry and Roland and…" she gave him a playful look, "Don't get in my way."

"I wouldn't dream of it, majesty," he took her hand, leaning in to kiss her once more as purple surrounded them, taking them back to town where a rather arrogant Fairy was about to meet her end.

-(-)-

AN: This was sort of inspired by a few questions I had with the finale. Like why didn't Marian tell Emma or Regina her name? I doubt that, with how obsessed the Evil Queen was in hunting Snow White, that she'd care if some woman named Marian ended up in her dungeon. I hardly think she'd make a connection to Robin Hood or even care. So, to me, there was no reason to hold her name so closely guarded. I mean, if Red Riding HOOD had no connection to Robin HOOD, than I don't think the Evil Queen would think some random woman named Marian was married to him :( And other things, like how did Zelena learn so much magic if Rumple cast her off and kept teaching Regina? Who taught her? It would have to be someone equally as dark and 'evil.'

I was rewatching the finale and I almost felt like, what if Robin shouting "Marian" wasn't meant to be an epic reveal of who her character was, but maybe that the woman herself didn't know her name was Marian, and THAT was why she hadn't said her name before. What if it was some effect of Zelena's spell that allowed for someone to impersonate Maid Marian, someone who saw her image in perhaps a spying mirror but didn't hear her name spoken? I had a theory that, according to A&E that they claimed Zelena would be the only thing standing between Robin and Regina, so it was plausible that her magic, when Rumple killed her, released her soul into the portal and made her 'wraith-like' or something with a physical body and image but just for a short time before the magic ran out. I could see Zelena, in that time, doing what she wanted to do all along and ruin Regina's life by taking away her soulmate.

But then I felt like that might be too obvious so I thought, the Wand of the Black Fairy seemed so insignificant but they gave that object an actual _name_, so maybe the Black Fairy would appear at some point. Why not like this? :)

I'm so glad you all enjoyed the last oneshot, I hope you like this one too :) Any prompts are welcome :)


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